Opportunity.
It’s something nurses crave but not all have access without changing employers.
The opportunity to provide exceptional patient care in a progressive environment. The opportunity to advance both their education and their career.
Melissa Trujillo, director of talent acquisition, says nurses can find it all with Hillcrest Healthcare System.
Serving communities throughout eastern Oklahoma, Hillcrest HealthCare System (HHS) includes Hillcrest Medical Center, Hillcrest Hospital South, Oklahoma Heart Institute, Bailey Medical Center, Hillcrest Hospital Claremore, Hillcrest Hospital Cushing, Hillcrest Hospital Henryetta, Hillcrest Hospital Pryor, Tulsa Spine & Specialty Hospital and Utica Park Clinic.
Across its hospitals and health care facilities, HHS offers 1,249 beds and employs a team of more than 6,500.
Eight facilities and two physician practice groups offer a multitude of opportunities for nurses.
“I feel like mobility is a big thing to offer,” Trujillo said. “Sixty percent of our hires in the system are transfers. We constantly have nurses transferring from one facility to another. I think as an HR group we offer a tailor to your skillset and a tailor to your liking. We are a place that promotes transferring from within.”
Not only are nurses able to transfer within facilities but being owned by Ardent Health Services allows nurses to transfer to other states.
Whether it be facilities in Texas or New Mexico or along the East coast the options are there.
“We really offer internal mobility,” Trujillo said. “If they were to transfer here to New Mexico they would keep their PTO and their years of service. I would say we pride ourselves on internal mobility because we would rather that RN stays in our system.”
“We have lots of opportunities within the system for movement and exposure.”
Hillcrest Medical Center, 1120 S Utica Ave., employs nearly 2,500 in multiple units. Hillcrest Hospital South, 8801 S 101st E Ave, staffs nearly 1,000.
New this year at Hillcrest South is a nursing residency program for those graduating in the spring.
“You enter the program, get exposure to multiple units and once you’re out of the program then you’re well-equipped to go into whatever unit you desire,” Trujillo said. “What we’re really hoping is they get exposure to units they may think they would not be interested in.”
Trujillo points to HIllcrest’s medical/surgical units that have an added specialty such as trauma or ortho.
“To me you don’t know what you don’t know,” Trujillo said. “And since it’s temporary and a residency program you’re getting that exposure and moving on to the next one. You might have an experience that resonates with you and persuades you to go to the less popular unit just because you’re finding out what your niche is.”
Hillcrest also offers up to $2,500 per semester in tuition reimbursement for career advancement. Relocation and sign-on bonuses are also available for new grads.
“Not a lot of facilities in the area offer both of those things for a new grad,” Trujillo said.
The system is a large one but time and attention is spent on onboarding new hires and making sure they feel comfortable.
“We’ve put a lot of time and effort into it to make sure the new grad feels safe. It’s a lot of detail-oriented training,” Trujillo said. “I think we’ve narrowed down the reasons why nurses quit, leave or leave the profession all together is because they don’t feel adequately trained enough to do their job or they feel unsafe.
“I think a lot of our programs are focused around making that new grad feel safe but yet giving them the exposure and skills that they need to be successful on down the road as an RN.”
Last September Modern Healthcare announced rankings for health care organizations recognized as Best Places to Work in Healthcare, with 12 Ardent Health Services hospitals, clinics and other entities among the top in the country.
Six of those facilities were in Oklahoma.
Tulsa Spine and Specialty ranked No. 6 on the overall list.
“Providing excellent patient care and service is driven by highly engaged employees,” noted Ardent President and CEO David T. Vandewater. “Creating a supportive work environment is critical to the success of our company, and having so many Ardent facilities named to the ‘Best Place to Work in Healthcare’ affirms that our employees are focused on our purpose of caring for others: our patients, their families and one another.”
Modern Healthcare’s rankings are based on interviews with leadership and physicians, and a confidential employee survey that assesses satisfaction, work-life balance, communication, policies and practices, work environment and culture. Visit: https://hillcrestmedicalcenter.com/
